Dil Bechara

Dil Bechara (transl. The helpless heart) is a 2020 Indian Hindi-language coming-of-age romantic drama film which is the directorial debut of Mukesh Chhabra.

• Based on John Green‘s 2012 novel The Fault in Our Stars, it stars Sushant Singh Rajput and Sanjana Sanghi.
• Filming commenced on 9 July 2018 in Jamshedpur.
• The film’s release has been postponed multiple times, due to post-production delays and then again due to the COVID-19 pandemic in India.
• It was released on 24 July 2020 on Disney+ Hotstar.

It features the last film performance by Rajput, who died in June 2020.

Today I am not writing this article with an attempt to review this Movie

• We all know it an adaptation of The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
• I, for starters have not read the Novel nor seen the Movie it’s based on
• Unlike me, there are many of you who must have either read the novel/watched the movie
• I am just going to put my thoughts about what I experienced when I watched this movie

So, I am just going to list out what I felt while watching this one and why we should watch it BUT, not as a Movie:

• The YA Novel borrows it’s title from the Shakespeare‘s play, Julius Caesar
• The theme of this title is captured succinctly by Khaitan and Sengupta’s screenplay
• Dil Bechara’s Direction capitalizes on this trope effectively
• There are moments that are adorable, affable and heart warming
• Then, there are other’s which lend to the irony of the Premise and the Central Character
• Now, that we know what happened to Rajput these scenes lend Gravitas to those moments
• The Dialogues as well haunt us when these sequences are underway

• It really doesn’t matter if the screen play is shoddy or weak at times
• It’s over looked because Dil Bechara immerses us into the journey
• Right from the first frame, Kizie pulls us in without letting go
• Manny arrives a few moments later and then it’s next to impossible
• Letting Go doesn’t remain an option after a while
• The Direction keeps us engaged right up until the last frame

• The Cinematography is delightful
• It glides effervescently through the City of Steel
• We experience Jamshedpur through the Rose Tinted View of Kizie & Manny
• The Music by A. R. Rahman keeps us invested in their Love, Their Battles, Their Resolve
• Each Number belted by Rahman is soul soothing and Catchy

The Most Endearing Aspect? The Characters:

• We also get to see other characters who witness Kizie & Manny’s love along with us
• Kizie’s Parents, Manny’s Friend, The Local Rickshaw Fella
• They are equal parts Compatriot’s in this Love story
• Sanjana Sanghi as Kizie is confident, goofy, charming and lends able support to Rajput’s Manny
• She displays a vulnerability to Kizie and her thoughts
• She carries the part with Aplomb and Grace

Finally, it boils down to Manny – Sushant Singh Rajput

• He essays a role we have seen before many times
• However, he makes it his own
• He adds layers of eccentricity to his Manny
• At the same time, there is warmth to him that shows his realization
• This realization that Life can be Fragile & Tragic
• It is surreal and feels weird when he brings us face to face with that moment
• However he also affirms that despite the short comings of Life, We Have A Choice
• The Choice is how we react to Life

The Depiction of this Point essayed by Rajput is what made me somber once the Movie ended

• Dil Bechara and Rajput’s Life literally mirror each other and Vice versa
• It felt like I was witnessing a Homage and not a Movie
• The feeling that I will never see Rajput on screen again was gut wrenching
• This is where Dil Bechara won me over
• The Journey, The Realization and the Experience of A Choice!

Today, I am not going to recommend this Movie to Any One

All, I will say is this:

• Dil Bechara is an Ode, A Tribute, A Homage
• It Feels So because of The Actor who gave us His Final Performance
• Even That Final Act was enough to Touch Our Lives
• To Make Us Feel: We All Do Have A Choice, Always!
• We Should Watch it for that Choice….

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